KALEV’S SECRET WEAPON Twelve men are sent out on a mission. The brief? Spy-out the land of Israel and report back. Ten men become overwhelmed at the challenges that lie ahead. They decide that they could not support the entry to Israel. Two men, Joshua and Kalev, oppose them. We understand how Joshua was able...
THE SEVEN BOOKS OF MOSES This Shabbat, we read Beha’alotcha, the third parasha of Bamidar, the fourth of the five books of the Torah. Yet there is a passage in the Talmud (Shabbat 116a) that states that there are not just five books of the Torah, but seven. The extra two are found in this...
AI ON THE ALTAR AI is on everyone’s mind. The statement on AI risk issued this week by leading scientists and thinkers, projects concern to a new level. “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority,” they say, “alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” Responsible discussion about...
SMELL THE COFFEE – IT’S SHAVUOT! A popular custom on Shavuot is to stay up all night studying Torah. How did this arise? The practice is not mentioned in the Mishna nor in the Talmud. It is not mentioned in Maimonides writings (12th century) nor in the Shulchan Aruch, the 16th century Code of Jewish...
LITERATE JEWS An exciting discovery was announced in Jerusalem this week. A 2,000-year old chalkstone with seven rows of writing has been uncovered. The text appears to be a merchant’s accounting record, which indicates a high level of literacy among ordinary people in Second Temple times. This week also saw the publication of PIRLS 21...
